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A comprehensive approach to helping companies manage their at-work driving duty of care responsibilities has seen Fleet Support Group win the Van Fleet Safety Award in the inaugural Fleet Van Awards.
Chippenham-based Fleet Support Group, which manages around 55,000 vehicles on behalf of some of Britain’s best-known companies, was praised by the judges for its ‘consistent record of reducing accidents’ through a range of initiatives. Leading Fleet Support Group customers include Network Rail, Dun & Bradstreet and WH Smith.
The Van Fleet Safety Award was one of 21 awards presented to LCV fleet suppliers, fleet managers and vehicle manufacturers at a Fleet Van gala dinner at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, on Tuesday, December 2. Fleet Van is a sister title to Fleet News, the industry weekly for the UK company car and van market.
RiskMaster is Fleet Support Group’s core occupational road risk management product and, in announcing the winner, Trevor Gehlcken, editor of Fleet Van and a member of the judging panel, said: “A ‘Permit to Drive’ system developed as part of RiskMaster is making a real difference to fleet safety and is part of a comprehensive programme of initiatives and services that swayed the judges in this category. It has contributed to a consistent record of reducing accidents.”
The focal point of RiskMaster is the ‘Permit to Drive’, which means each driver and vehicle annually passing a rigid ‘fit for the road’ examination with quarterly online driver declarations about licences and health status - to ensure employers are completely aware of all issues affecting their drivers. Failure to reply can mean withdrawal of a driver’s ‘permit’.
Employees are granted a ‘Permit to Drive’ following a DVLA licence check, and an online driving assessment that is then used as the basis for any training as highlighted by the assessment, profiling drivers as ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’ risk. Vehicle maintenance records, insurance details and any data on crashes and motoring offences are also fed into the system.
As information is supplied, it is analysed by the RiskMaster software system, which then point-scores a driver’s data. If points rise above a preset level, management is alerted. A driver can qualify for a permit, or a temporary permit, or be denied.
The analysis is a continual process so every driver has a ‘Driver Operating Life Report’ and they are simultaneously measured against their employer’s own specific parameters. Earlier this year a telematics option was added to RiskMaster.
The judges also praised Masterview - a unique remote video inspection system in use at the company’s nationwide network of approved service and repair garages that enable fleet managers to view the condition of vehicles and components anywhere around the country, either in real time or recorded for later transmission.
The pictures are relayed to Fleet Support Group maintenance experts at its Chippenham headquarters. When vehicle abuse is detected, fleet managers in charge of the damaged vehicles are informed and shown the evidence.
Mr Gehlcken said: “Fleet Support Group’s participation in a zero-tolerance maintenance programme won particular praise from the judges.”
Examples of driver vehicle abuse, which not only impacts on safety but also on a company’s image, costs money to repair and hits car and van residual values, include:
As a result, this autumn Fleet Support Group launched a new campaign called ‘Are Your Vehicles Fit For Purpose?’, which supports the established RiskMaster work-related road safety programme.
Commenting on winning the award, Fleet Support Group chairman Geoffrey Bray said: “Occupational road risk management is not only crucial in terms of compliance with the law, but it is a proven mechanism for reducing fleet operating costs. We are delighted that the experts at Fleet Van have recognised the various initiatives we have implemented.”
Earlier this year Fleet Support Group completed a hat-trick of awards from road safety charity Brake as a result of its concerted focus on reducing the risk exposure of at-work drivers. The company was named Fleet Service Provider of the Year for iRIS (Integrated Risk Information System), its newly launched, highly sophisticated software system combining its long-established RiskMaster programme with in-car telematics.